Willard f



VILLARD F. RICHARDS, OF BUFFALO,

PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR TO THE GOULD COUPLER COMPANY, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

CAR-COU PLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,062, dated April 11, 1893.

Application led January 17, 1893- Serial No. 458,639- (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLAED F. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing atBuf-- falo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and usefullmprovements in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has general reference to twin car couplings which are provided with a swinging coupling jaw and a vertically movable lock or pawl for retaining the coupling jaw in its closed or coupled position, and more particularly to such couplings which are used on passenger cars and in which the lock is lifted, t0 unlock the jaw, through the medium of a rock lever mounted on the draw head, and actuated in turn by a hand lever pivoted to the end of the car.

Prior to my invention, the locking pawl has been connected with the rock-lever by a ilexible connection consisting of a clevis pivoted to the lever and a link connecting said clevs with the locking pawl; and for the purpose of positively returning the rock lever, when raised, to its normal position to lowerthe raised locking pawl, a spring has been employed which is compressed by the upward swing of the rock lever. This operating device insures the lifting of the looking pawl upon shifting the hand lever, but owing to the iiexibility of the connection between the lever and the pawl, it provides no means for positively lowering the pawl, the latter depending for its descent on gravity and the pitch of the incline on which it rests. The contiguous portions of the pawl and its incline are usually rough, as drawhead castings are commonly not finished, and the pawl is therefore liable to bind on its incline and not descend into engagement with the arm of the coupling jaw, thus defeating the action of the coupling.

The object of my invention is to provide the looking pawl with an operating device of simple construction which is not dependent on the uncertain action of gravity alone for lowering it, but which will reliably and positively depress the pawl to its locking position, upon releasing the hand lever of the operating device.

In the accompanying drawings z-Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a ear coupling con- Fig. 2is a vertical taining my improvement.

Fig.

cross section thereof inline 2-2, Fig. l. 3 is a horizontal section of the same.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures. s

A is the recessed drawhead having the usual guard or horn a on one side thereof, and B is the horizontally swinging coupling jaw pivoted to the opposite side of the drawhead and having the customary locking arm h.

C is the vertically movable lock or pawl pivoted within the drawhead and adapted to interlock at its free end with the arm of the coupling jaw. d is the incline arranged in the upper portion of the drawhead for swinging the pawl rearwardly, and CZ the incline arranged on the bottom of the drawhead, on which the locking pawl rests and whereby it is caused to automatically interlock with the arm of the coupling jaw, when the latter is swung into its closed position.

E is the rock lever or so-called gooseneck, pivoted transversely in the upper portion of the drawhead by a horizontal pin e, and F is the actuating chain of the lever attached at one end to a lug on the upper side of the rocklever and at its opposite end to the usual hand lever G, which is pivoted to the end of the car.

h is a rigid eye bolt or rod which connects the locking pawl with the rock lever and whereby the lock is raised and lowered. This bolt is pivoted at its upper end to the rock lever on one side of the fulcrum of the latter, and at its lower end to the locking pawl by a transverse pin or rivet h', the pawl being provided with a vertical aperture h2, in which the lower eye of the bolt is arranged and through which the rivet h passes. As the rock lever is located slightly in rear of the locking pawl, the upper portion ot' the bolt is bent or offset, as shown in Fig. l. The eyeapertnre in the locking pawl is elongated lengthwise of the pawl, to give the eye the requisite play.

I is the return spring whereby the rock 1ever, when raised, is swung into its normal position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, upon being released by the hand lever G. This spring is arranged behind the lock and is seated with its lower portion in a pocket arranged in the bottom of the drawhead. Within this spring is arranged a vertical bolt provided at its upper end with a head or yoke j, which bears against the under side of a heel or nose 7c formed on the rock lever on the adjacent side of its fulcrum. This return spring is compressed by the upward movement of the rock lever, and when the raised lever is released, the spring reacts and swings the lever to its former depressed position Upon shifting the hand lever G in the proper direction to raise the rock lever, the locking pawl is raised through the eye bolt and the coupling jaw is unlocked, while upon releasing this hand lever, the spring returns the rock lever to its former depressed position and the lever in turn forces the locking pawl down on its incline to its lowerrnost position, through the medium of theinlexible eye bolt. The locking pawl is thus compelled to descend with the rock lever and does not depend for its descent upon gravity alone, as is the case when a flexible connection is employed between the pawl and the rock lever, thereby rendering the downward or locking movement of the pawl positive as Well as its upward or unlocking movement, and obviating the diftih culties heretofore experienced with car couplings having such flexible connections.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination with the drawhead, the

coupling jaw, and the vertically movable lock,` vof a rock lever pivoted to the draw head above of the coupling jaw, of an actuating lever pivoted to the drawhead above the lock, a rigid rod or bolt connecting the locking pawl with said actuating lever, and a spring whereby said actuating lever is caused to depress the lock, when the lever is released, substantially as set forth. A

3. The combination with the drawhead, the coupling jaw and the vertically movable lock of the coupling jaw, of an actuating lever piv oted to the drawhead above the lock, a rigid rod or bolt attached at its upper end to said actuating lever on one side of its fulcrum and at its lower end to the lock,and a return spring engaging against said actuating lever on the opposite side ot' its fulcrum, substantially as set forth.

t. The combination with the drawhead, the coupling jaw and the vertically movable lock ot the coupling jaw, of a rock lever pivoted transversely to the upper portion of the drawhead, an inflexible rod or bolt attached at its lower end to the lock and at its upper end to one arm of said rock lever, a return spring arranged in the drawhead behind the lock, and bearing with its upper end against the other arm of said lever, and an actuating chain attached to said rock lever and extending rearwardly therefrom, substantially as set forth.

YWitness my hand this 13th day of January, 189.3.

WILLARD F. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

CARL F. GEYER, JNO. J. BONNER. 

